Rain Drops
by Ruki44
Summary: Ruki never handled sorrow well, but from the emptiness of her stare, Juri knew there was more to it than what everyone assumed.


**Author Note:** This is just a drabble I wanted to do, nothing more. Maybe some day I'll expand on it. Maybe not. Probably not.

* * *

Rain drops rolled down the smooth granite and on to the stone pathway, searching for somewhere where it could be accepted. Juri's eyes followed the stream of water down for a moment, before raising her amber eyes once again to look at the family name etched in the stone. Each time she looked at it, her insides flipped and squirmed uncomfortably, never quite liking graveyards nor the sense of finality it seemed to impose.

 **Makino**

Clutching the umbrella close to her, the small brunette girl looked up to see the same vacant expression which marred Ruki's pretty features ever since the wake of her father. While her violet eyes were normally resolute, staring forward to a future only she could see beyond the horizon, now it seemed they couldn't even see the words etched on the stone in front of her. Yet no tears stained her face.

 _"I'm worried about her," Takato sighed quietly, his mouth full of food as the former Tamers picked at their lunch at in the classroom. A heavy weight hung between them all, even though the cause for it wasn't even there. "She's disillusion-"_

 _"Disassociating," Jian corrected, Takato nodding his head, pointing his finger at the half Chinese boy emphatically. Swallowing the half eaten loaf of bread in his mouth, the crimson-eyed boy continued with his thoughts._

 _"Yeah, yeah that. Disassociating since Renamon and the other Digimon left, and this is probably going to send her further back into herself. I mean she knows we are here for her, doesn't she...? Yet she hasn't talked to us at all about it. At this rate, I'm worried she'll go right back to not talking to anyone about anything which is bothering her."_

 _Juri opened her mouth to say something, only to be cut off by Hirokazu of all people, rice tumbling out of his mouth as he spoke._

 _"Everyone deals with loss a different way man. Let her process it. When my gran died, it didn't really kick in for me until I saw her body turn into ash. Besides, it's not like any of us ever knew what was going on in that head of hers to begin with. I think the fact she told us at all show she's trying, at least in her own way."_

Juri pressed her lips together, remembering Rumiko's shaking form, hanging on to her mother tightly. Ruki's bowed head as her grandparents picked the bones of their son from the ashes and transferred them to the urn. Yet when all was said and done ... Ruki's eyes were the only one which weren't stained red. Even when her father's remains were brought to their final resting place, his name being added to the family headstone, not even a silent sob escaped her.

Even now, with the sky itself crying, no tears could be found on her friend's face even though the two of them had been standing at the grave site for an hour now.

Juri closed her eyes, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

 _This ... isn't the same. She's not disassociating, like how she is with Renamon._

No, she knew dissociation, and this wasn't it. More importantly though, she knew Ruki. She wasn't trying to rip the sorrow and pain from her soul, otherwise she wouldn't be here looking blankly and silently at a stone marker for an hour in the pouring rain. No, she was searching for something, and it was clear to the brunette Ruki wasn't accepting she wouldn't find it here.

Shifting the umbrella to her other hand, Juri slid closer to Ruki and used her newly acquired free hand to slip her fingers into the long slender ones of the red heads. They twitched ever so slightly, before curling around Juri's tightly.

"It's OK not to cry, Ruki-chan," Juri murmured, resting her head on the taller girl's shoulder. "It didn't mean you loved him any less."

There was silence at her words, but the brunette knew the wind simply didn't carry them away. After a minute though words carrying so much weight tumbled forward.

"Normal people cry though."

Glancing upwards, Juri could see herself reflected in Ruki's hollow eyes and a sad smile crawled across her lips.

 _Ah. I see ... she's just like me. We really are the same in the end, aren't we?_

Letting the umbrella drop to the ground, Juri raised her arms and wrapped them both around the red-head's neck, pulling Ruki downwards, closer to her own height.

There were so many things she could say right now, though none would assure those feelings tearing at her inside. Juri knew this. She knew this better than anyone. Maybe words for another time, but today, all she said was-

"But you are crying. Your cheeks are all wet," she murmured, the rain beating down on both of them.

There was a small gasp, and even with Ruki's mouth tickling her ear, Juri barely heard it. However, the next thing to leave Ruki's mouth as her own arms came up to wrap themselves around Juri's smaller frame came through loud and clear.

"Ah ... yeah, so you're right."


End file.
